STATE COLLEGE – For Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose the journey to the NCAA Semifinals isn't anything new. In his 34th season as the Nittany Lions' head coach, Rose has five national championships under his belt and understands what it takes to make it there.

The Lions are 78-26 all time in NCAA Tournament matches and are in the national semifinal for the 10th time in Penn State history. The program's volleyball dominance is nothing new, but Rose stresses that each team he's coached had it's share of differences.

“We don't have the team we had a few years back where if one of the six All Americans didn't play well the other five could help her out while she was catching a breather,” Rose said. “This is a team where everybody has to play really well together and they have to play hard. All four teams there are teams that have earned the right to be there.”

Penn State (33-2) plays fifth-seeded Oregon 9 p.m. Thursday in a match that determines whether or not the Lions will play for a National Championship on Saturday. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and is the Ducks' (29-4) first time ever in the NCAA Semifinals.

The Lions' preparations for a National championship started last January, just a week after Penn State lost to eventual NCAA Champion UCLA in the regional semifinals, 3-0. After a week at home to let their bodies rest, the players returned to campus in January knowing all too well they let a title slip through the cracks.

“The next season started the day after we lost,” junior outside hitter Ariel Scott said. “Losing wasn't fun but we didn't lose too many people from last year so we knew we still had another chance or another two chances. This year was definitely what we've been waiting for since we lost last year.”

Scott, the Big Ten's reigning Player of the Year, had a team-high 5.14 kills per set on .357 hitting during the NCAA Regional Championship matches against Kentucky and Minnesota. Scott was a member of the 2010 National Championship team, a year that marked the program's fourth consecutive National title.

Having her new teammates make it to the match is something she's stressed to them.

“They told us especially going to the Final Four, 'Hey, look to us we know what the nerves are like. We know there will be distractions. Just stay calm and look to us and we'll win,' ” sophomore setter Micha Hancock said. “Everyone is kind of anxious to get out there and play.”

Hancock was named the Big Ten's Setter of the Year but has yet to play in a match with the same magnitude as Thursday's. The same holds true for her teammate, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Megan Courtney.

This is where Rose is optimistic the younger players' excitement to be part of the Final Four will balance their lack of big-match experience.

“In theory it would be that you're not as distracted by the various meetings that are protocol and making sure that you're not on the court and just things that too me aren't that significant,” he said. “But, at times they can stress out people who aren't ready for that. You can counter that by being so excited to be there.”

When the team arrives in Louisville, Rose said he will prepare the same way he does whether it's a match in Rec Hall or at the NCAA Semifinals. He'll find a place to order a steak and follow it up by smoking a cigar. His players said they've sensed him more at ease since they qualified for the Final Four, but Rose isn't going to stop holding them to high standards anytime soon.

“When you qualify for the Final Four there's a sigh of relief when you get that last point and you know you get to participate in that,” he said. “There's some players on the roster that have been there before and it's exciting for the young players who have never been there. But no, I think I keep the screws pretty tight most of the times on the things I want to control.”